The Fitzpatrick scale is one of the first concepts you will learn at laser school if you are considering a career in the medical aesthetics sector.
After obtaining your cosmetic laser certification, it is imperative to have a thorough understanding of the various skin types and ailments that might alter skin tone.
The Fitzpatrick Scale: What Is It?
The Fitzpatrick scale, created in 1975 by Harvard Medical School dermatologist T.B. Fitzpatrick, is the standard method for classifying skin tones and gauging post-sun exposure melanin production in the health and beauty industry at large.
Dermatologists, doctors, and skin care experts all utilize the Fitzpatrick skin phototype scale to identify patients’ skin types and assess their vulnerability to UV damage and cancer.
Although the Fitzpatrick scale is commonly used to determine a person’s skin tone, it really evaluates the skin’s reaction to ultraviolet light.
The Fitzpatrick Scale for Skin Type
The Nature of Your Skin
Shade of skin
An Impact of the Sun
Extremely fair skin always burns and peels/never tans; very white, freckled skin, or ivory skin
2 White, fair skin that easily gets burned and almost never tans
3 Fair to Dark Burns Occasionally, Tans Continually
There are four shades of light brown or olive.
Never Gets a Bad Tan but Occasionally a Bad Burn
Color Scale: 5 for Brown
Infrequently Burns/Moderately Pigmented
Sixth-Grade Black High-Pigment Skin That Doesn’t Burn and Tans Rapidly
The Fitzpatrick Aesthetic Valuation Scale: Why It Matters in the Field of Medical Aesthetics
When evaluating the efficacy of cosmetic laser treatments on different skin types, laser technicians and aesthetic physicians might benefit from the Fitzpatrick scale.
There are a variety of settings on skin lasers that must be fine-tuned to work with different skin types. The skin’s response to the laser light controls the parameters. Rather than lightening or removing them, darkening is an option for specific cases involving targeted skin patches. This typically occurs during photofacials and laser hair removal.
Fair-skinned people with dark terminal hairs, for instance, are ideal candidates for laser hair removal. Laser hair removal is highly effective for types 1–4. Burning and hypo/hyperpigmentation are serious concerns for those with type 6.
In practice, clients who don’t fit neatly into any of these categories can still be helped; choose the one that gives you the most information about them.